Water-heater.



0. FOX.

WATER HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE17, 190a.

Patented July 19, 1910.

mm W WM.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

OTTO FOX, 0]? CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO NATURAL GAS REGULATORCOMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A COPARTNERSI-IIP.

WATER-HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 19, 1910.

Application filed June 17, 1908. Serial No. 438,918.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Orro Fox, a citizen of the United States, residingat Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have inventeda certain new and useful Improvement in ater-Heaters, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to water heaters which are employed for thepurpose of heating water very rapidly by means of gaseous fuel and hasfor its objects to provide a heater of this type which is particularlyefficient in operation, which will utilize to a great extent the heatunits applied thereto and which is at the same time simple andeconomical of construction.

My invention also contemplates the combination of a particular form ofwater heating element with a type of burner which will co-act therewithto produce a maximum efficiency in operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heater of the typereferred to which is so combined with a boiler or receptacle for hotwater as to permit the flow of water through the heater to be reversedwhen the burner is not in operation, whereby any sediment that mayaccumulate within the heater elements may be quickly and convenientlyremoved.

I accomplish the above objects by the construction illustrated in thedrawings hereto annexed, wherein-- Figure 1 represents a side elevationof my heater connected up to a fixed or stand boiler; Fig. 2 representsa perspective view of the heater proper and the burner for the same, theinolosing casing being represented in dotted lines; Fig. 3 represents atop plan view of one of the heater elements; and Fig. 4 represents asectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 8.

Describing the parts by reference characters, 1 denotes the boiler,which may be supported on a suitable stand 2.

3 denotes an inlet pipe through which cold water is supplied to theboiler, 4 the pipe leading from the boiler to the heater proper throughwhich water is supplied from the boiler to the heater, 5 the hot Wateroutlet pipe leading from the heater. The last mentioned pipe is providedwith a connection 6 adapted to discharge into the boiler.

7 denotes a pipe leading from pipe 6 to the faucet or other point ofuse, and 8 denotes a pipe which communicates with the inlet pipe to theheater. Pipes 4 and 8 are provided with valves 9 and 10 respectively.

The heater proper comprises a casing 11 which surrounds the heatingelements and the burner and which is provided at the rear portionthereof with a fine 12 through which the products of combustion may bedischarged.

18 denotes one of the heating elements. Each element 13 comprises awheel casting consisting of a central hub 14 connected by radial hollowspokes 15 with a hollow rim 16.' Each hub is internally threaded for thereception of the correspondingly threaded ends of the inlet and outletconnections. The lowermost heating element will have threaded thereintothe cold water inlet pipe 4, while short pipe sections or nipples 17connect the adjacent heater elements. Each heater element is providedwith a partition 18 which extends diagonally across the enlarged centralportion of the hub, whereby the water supply to the bottom of eachelement will be caused to circulate outwardly through the hollow spokeson the inlet side of the partition into the hollow rim, thence into thehub through the remaining hollow spokes above or on the outlet side ofsaid partition. By this construction, the water supplied to each heatingelement is spread out and caused to travel throughout the whole extentof each element in its passage to the next element in the series, theuppermost element being connected with and discharging into pipe 5.

As will appear more particularly by reference to Figs. 2 and 3, the openspaces 15 between the spokes 15 are of substantially the same shape andlateral area as the spokes themselves and the elements are so arrangedthat the radial spokes of one disk are in vertical alinement with thespaces of the disk thereabove, whereby the products of combustiondischarged from the burner will be batlled or intercepted successivelyby the radial spokes of each heating element in the series, thusrendering the heater extremely eflicient in operation. This efficiencyis increased by the particular tyne of burner which is employed with theheater. This burner, as will appear from Fig. 2, is provided with acircular series of burner apertures 19 which are located below thehOllQW rim of the heating element next thereabove, the burner orificesbeing preferably located about midway between the inner and the outerperiphery of said rim. The burner is preferably a casting and isprovided on its upper surface with-ribs 20 located beneath the radialarms 15 of the heater element thereabove and provided with burnerorifices 21 arranged to discharge against the central portions of theradial spokes of said heating element.

By the construction and arrangement of heater elements and burner abovedescribed, great efficiency is secured and the water is very quicklyheated with a minimum consumption of fuel.

By closing the valve 9 and opening the valve 10, the water supplied tothe stand boiler 1 through the pipe 3 may be caused to circulate throughpipe 5, through the heater elements 18 and out through pipe 8,effectually removing, by this reverse flow, any sediment that may haveaccumulated within the heater.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A water heating element comprising a central hub and a hollow rim,and hollow spokes connecting the hub and rim, said hub being providedwith an inclined partition extending across the same and placing some ofsaid hollow spokes in communication with the portion of the hub on oneside of said partition and the remaining spokes in communication withthat part of the hub on the other side of said partition, the hub andthe rim being in substantially the same plane.

2. A water heater comprising a vertical series of connected elements,each element comprising a central hub, a hollow rim surrounding saidhub, hollow spokes connecting the rim and hub, and an inclined partitionextending across said hub and dividing the same into a lower inletportion and an upper outlet portion, the inlet portion communicatingwith some of said spokes and the outlet portion with the remainder ofsaid spokes, the rim and the hub being in substantially the samehorizontal plane.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto atlix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

OTTO FOX.

Vitnesses V. L. MCGARRELL, A. J. HUDSON.

